Energetic, clumsy Makoto crashes into a moving train after her bike breaks fail her and dies… or at least that’s what should have happened. A few moments later she finds herself alive and in the past and realizes she can time leap. Oddly without really questioning at all how or why she can time leap, Makoto begins to use her leaps for insignificant things such as getting a better grade on her test, making sure her sister didn’t eat her pudding, and match-making but she soon learns that her time leaping has been having effects on other people around her. Whilst the first half of the film is incredibly light hearted and humorous due to the clumsiness of the leading character Makoto, the second half begins to show more a more sensitive and serious side to the character and has many tear jerking moments. The film itself is built from torn emotions along with humorous and heartfelt moments that captures the essence of many young teenagers. It shows the development of a young girl and contains laughs and likeable, relatable characters.
As my previous review was ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’ it’s quite difficult to compare the animation of the two films. Whilst the animation of this film (The girl who leapt through time) is fresh and smooth, it’s not incredible visually when compared to 5 Centimeters, or anywhere near on the same level. Even those who aren’t interested in anime could give this film a watch due to its comedic and charming character Makoto and its exciting time travel appeal. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a joyful, exciting and spellbinding anime that has a simple narrative that is easy to follow with a melancholic but hopeful and mesmerizing conclusion.